Through An innocent's Eyes
by Demonwolf
Summary: James and the Giant Peach. A closer look into James's life with his aunts, his adventures and his eventual adoption by his friends. Be warned, it's quite sad at times. Please R&R.
1. The Beginning of the End

Through an Innocent's Eyes

_Disclaimer: I do not own James and the Giant Peach, but I do own some of the names I give to the minor characters._

Ch.1 The Beginning of the End

The ocean water was clam and smooth, like glass. The sun shone brightly out of a brilliantly blue sky. A soft breeze sprang up and blew small mounds of yellow sand this way and that. The day did not reflect anyone's mood.

A few feet away from the ocean was a small neat cottage, painted white with a red roof. The front porch was adorned with small flower pots, their contents bursting with life that would not last much longer. On a small cushioned chair sat a very small boy, staring out at the water as though searching for something. Or some one.

The boy couldn't have been older than six or seven. He had light brown hair, sincere brown eyes, and was not very tall. He was clad in a yellow shirt, a blue vest, and brown shorts. There was something about him that said he was a sweet child, a child any parent would be proud to call a son. Unfortunately, thanks to the event of the previous day, the little boy would never hear his parents paying him such a complement again.

The boy, who was called James, turned his gaze away from the water and towards his front door, which was painted dark green. From inside, he could hear the official sounding voices discussing something about closure and taxes. Being only six years old, James had no idea what they meant. He did, however, know that they were also talking about what to do with him. The little boy closed his eyes and yesterday's happenings ran through his head.

_The sky growing dark, clouds moving in quickly. The sea beginning to churn and bubble furiously. A group of American teenagers, who had been partying on the beach, pausing and looking up at the sky, eyes wide. His parents, looking worried, telling him to go inside and wait for them. James did, but looked back at them first. His father gave him a lopsided grin._

"_Go on, son. Your mother and I will be along shortly. I'll just help her bring in some of her plants and we'll be right in. His mother paused and smiled lovingly at him._

"_Don't worry, James. Like your father said, we'll be right there. Everything will be okay, dear, you'll see."_

_James smiled back at his parents, then went inside and sat at the table. Outside, thunder crashed and waves pounded. Lightning flashed in the skies, causing the lamps to flicker and send strange shapes across the walls. At one point, James was sure he saw the shape of a rhino on the far wall. And still, his mother and father had not come back in._

_They had not come back in._

_Outside, the storm, or whatever it was, was calming down, although the sky remained dark. Slowly, James got up and pushed open the front door. Outside, a large group of people were gathered near the shore, muttering and whispering. Suddenly very scared, James approached the crowd. No one noticed as he merged with the crowd, although he recognized the faces of his friends' parents. He did not, however, see his parents. He had almost reached the front of the group when a hand on his shoulder halted him. James looked up to see one of the American teenagers, a girl in her late teens. Her long blond hair was tousled, as though by the wind and her blue eyes looked like they had seen something awful. She was wearing a stranger kind of bathing suit that left her arms and a good portion of her stomach and back bare. However, she seemed like a gentle person from the way she looked at him._

"_You don't want to see that. Really, you don't," she had said. Her friends, another girl and two boys, heard her and nodded. James's brown eyes went wide._

"_B-B-But my mother… and my father…" The girl looked up at her friends and they all looked away. She turned back to him and gave him a pained half-smile._

"_C'mon, I'll take you back home. Trust me, you don't want to see that." She nodded back to whatever the people were grouped around. Obediently, James turned and followed the American group. But he chanced one last look over his shoulder. In a gap between the peoples' legs, he could see what he knew was his father's hat._

_It was covered in blood._

That had been yesterday, the worst day of his life. The day he, James Henry trotter, had become an orphan. And while last night, there had plenty of grief-stricken people in his house, no one offered to take him in, even for the night. Oh, his friends' mothers had hugged him and cried and said they were sorry, but they left soon afterward. And then James was alone. The only other person left in the cottage with him was a small, fat, bald man in a suit who had announced himself as "in charge of his parents' affairs." He had not paid attention to James at all, his only words to the child were telling him to go to bed and be quiet. James had immediately complied and ended up crying himself to sleep. No one had come to comfort him.

The front door suddenly slammed shut. James looked up, startled. The man in charge of his parents' affairs had come back outside. He took not the slightest notice of James, merely reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a package of cigarettes and a match. The harsh smell of cigarette smoke made James's nose burn. He shrank back against the cushions and the man turned and stared at James, as though seeing him for the first time. His nostrils curled, as though disgusted.

"Go pack," he said suddenly.

"Pack?" James asked, confused.

"Yes, boy, pack!" the man snapped, as though annoyed with James. "You're going to live with your aunts and I want to get you off my hands by dark, so hurry up! And don't bring every little thing you ever owned; take only what you need." With that, the man turned away and resumed his smoking. James slowly stood up and walked towards the door, but the man took no other notice of him, so James entered his house or the last time.


	2. The Journey

Through an Innocent's Eyes

_Disclaimer: I do not own James and the Giant Peach, but I do own some of the names I give to the minor characters._

Ch.2 The Journey

James raced upstairs to his room. He didn't want to look at his now- empty house, devoid of his parents' possessions. Thankfully, his room was still intact, although he knew it wouldn't be for long. Falling back onto his bed, James breathed in the familiar scent of his pale blue comforter his mother had made for him. Surprisingly, he did not cry; he couldn't. He was all cried out.

Sitting up, James noticed some one, probably the man had left a battered suitcase on his floor. Sliding off his bed, James knelt down and examined it. The outer leather was scuffed and faded and the inside flap was torn, giving the carrier an extra pocket. Definitely not something you'd give to a friend to borrow. More like something you'd give to some one who didn't matter just to get rid of it.

Almost automatically, James opened his dresser drawers and began piling his clothes into the suitcase. He had a feeling that when the man said 'take only what you need,' he meant 'don't take your toys'. However, once James was through with his clothes, he quickly grabbed a few small items as mementos of his parents: a rubber band ball, a tiny toy car, some crayons, his last birthday candle, and his travel book of New York City. James thought for a while before carefully stowing his precious treasures behind the torn flap. There was a small bulge, but his toys were nicely hid; James didn't want the man taking _anything _away from him like he had taken all of his parents' things.

Shutting the suitcase, James took one last look around his room. He sighed again, bowing his head under the weight of his sadness. He couldn't _ever_ remember feeling so upset; couldn't remember a time when he'd been too sad to shed tears.

Lugging his suitcase downstairs, James found the man waiting for him in the now-empty living room. He glared at James before beckoning him with one thick finger.

"Well, hurry up, boy. We haven't got all day." He turned and strutted out the front door, James following without a word.

The man's black car was parked just outside the house. The man opened the back door and James got in. The man slammed the door, then got into the driver's seat. With a few quick movements, he started the car and began to drive. James turned and watched as his old home and his own life vanished rapidly behind him. They had left his life before he'd had a chance to say goodbye.

The drive to James's aunts' house was silent. The man showed no interest in the distraught child in his back seat, viewing him as a nuisance that he wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. James, for his part, was very nervous. He had never met his aunts Spiker and Sponge. They had never come to visit and his parents had never gone to see them. He knew that they were his father's younger twin sisters, but that was it. Otherwise, he had no knowledge of his two family members whatsoever.

"Excuse me, sir," James asked softly. The man grunted ill-temperedly and snapped,

"What is it now?"

"Did you ever meet my aunts, sir? The man glared at him.

"No I never met your aunts, boy? What kind of a question is that? Huh, next thing I know, you'll be asking me if I've learned to fly!" Shocked, James shrank back against the seat. More than anything, he wished time would rewind and his mother and father had not been eaten by that rhino and that they were still living happily together by the sea.

Another angry grunt jerked James back to reality.

"There's the house now." The car had begun to slowly chug up a steep hill, atop of which was James's new home. However, there was nothing new or home-like about it. The old house was made of splintery dark wood and seemed to lean to the left. The whole yard looked desolate and bare and devoid of life. In the middle of the yard was an old tree whose branches seemed to wave away newcomers, as if telling them to seek a better life elsewhere.

"Well, this is it," the man said, pulling to a stop. He got out and opened James's door.

"Out, boy, go on." James got out of the car, although his legs were shaking. He stared at the angry-looking house, terrified of having to enter. The man, meanwhile, ignored James and got back into the driver's seta. James's brown eyes widened and he cried out,

"Wait, sir! Where are you going?" The man stuck his head out the window and gave James another of his famous glares.

"I said I wanted you off my hands, boy, and now you are. Whatever happens to you now is none of my concern. You're in their care now. Good riddance." He pulled himself back inside and gunned the engine, causing James to leap backward. Without missing a beat, the car chugged away back down the hill, leaving James behind.

Stunned, James picked up his suitcase and turned back to his new house. Without a choice, he forced his lead feet into motion until he was standing at the dark brown door. James swallowed and reached out a hand to knock, his small fist barely making any sound at all. However, he had no sooner lowered his hand than the door flew open and James met his aunts for the first time.


	3. House of Horrors

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

_Hello, and yes, I've returned. Let me say that writer's block + Epstein Bar no idea what to write! BTW Epstein Bar is like Mono, only worse! Anyway, here's Ch. 3._

**Ch.3 House of Horrors**

"What do you want?"

James was struck dumb with shock and fear. There was no way the two women before him could possibly be his aunts. Both of them had red hair and dark brown, almost black eyes. One of them was small and fat, but still taller than James; the other very tall and skinny. The small woman had a large mole by her nose while the taller one, who had spoken, had large horsy teeth. James wanted to explain that he was their nephew and that he had come to live with them, but his throat was frozen.

"Well? Are you an idiot or are you just here to bother us?" the tall woman asked again. Then she suddenly reached down and roughly grabbed James's arm. James winced as his aunt's sharp nails dug into his skin. Her hard dark eyes bored into the boy's terrified brown ones.

"Are you our so-called nephew?" she snarled, bending close to James's ear. James, still terrified, could only nod. His aunt's response was a savage jerk on his arm.

"Answer me with words!"

"Y-y-y-yes, I'm your nephew," James said fearfully. His young mind was racing; no adult had ever treated him so horribly before. His tall aunt turned to her sister with a look of disgust on her face.

"Did you _hear_ that, Sponge? This… this… _boy_ will be living with _us_! James's aunt Sponge scowled.

"What shall we do with him, Spiker?"

Aunt Spiker looked back down at her terrified nephew. With a rough bony hand, she seized James's chin and stared into his face.

"Humph. Resembles both his wretched parents. An absolute disgust!" she growled. Without another word, she began dragging James into the rotting house, closely followed by Aunt Sponge. Aunt Spiker strode purposely ahead, her grip on James's arm like iron. James gasped for breath, partly from his forced march and partly from his fear. Finally, the party arrived in the kitchen, where Aunt Spiker shoved James away from her. Shaking, James faced his two aunts, his back against the far wall. He watched as his two new guardians quickly whispered to each other, then turned back to him.

"Give that here!" Aunt Spiker snarled, pointing. James looked down at his small battered suitcase that he had somehow managed to hold onto. James suddenly felt sour fear rise in his throat. He had a feeling that if his aunts found his hidden store of toys, they'd take them away or worse. At the same time, not obeying them might merit an even worse punishment. As it turned out, James was right.

SSWWAAAAKKKK! Faster than his eye could follow, Aunt Spiker's hand lashed out and landed hard and heavy on James's cheek. James gave an involuntary whimper and stared wide-eyed at his aunt, one hand on his burning cheek. Never before in his life had he been struck; his parents wouldn't tolerate such an act. However, it seemed his aunts had no such qualms about using their fists on him.

Before James could react, his aunt snatched his suitcase from him and shook it violently. James felt his mouth go dry with fear; if his new guardians found his store of treasures, it was more than likely that he would much more than a slap to the face. James may have only been seven, but he knew that much.

"Stop that whimpering and take that look off your face, boy!" Aunt Spiker's voice cut through James's thoughts, causing him to flinch. His Aunt Sponge had been running her fingers along the outside edge of his suitcase and now she looked up at her sister.

"Well, it doesn't seem as though he managed to sneak anything in here. Unless you want to open it?"

"No, sister, I have better things to do than go looking through a child's filthy garments." Aunt Spiker answered before turning back to James. She jabbed a sharp finger in his face.

"Let's get something straight right now, boy." Her tone was soft and deadly. "If Sponge and I catch you with one of those disgusting toys your parents may have given you, you will wish you had never been born. Of course, that will be good for you because then you will know how _we_ feel now that you're here. And now that you're here, you will do whatever we tell you without complaint. Whatever the task may be, it is yours to complete. Understand?" The last word came out as little more than a snarl.

James was trembling like a leaf, his cheek was still burning, and he couldn't help the way his breath shook. He had been in his new home for less than five minutes and it was a nightmare. No, worse than a nightmare because nightmares weren't real, no matter how bad they seemed. What's more, his mother had always been there to hold him close and tell him everything would be alright. Now, his mother was gone and nothing would be alright as long as James remained in this house.

"Well?"

"Y-y-y-yes, Auntie Spiker, I understand," James answered, hanging his head.

"Look at me, boy!" James's head snapped up; already, he knew how dangerous it would be to disobey. Both of his aunts were still scowling at him, although exactly _what_ it was that James had done wrong remained a mystery in the mind of the seven-year-old child. Suddenly, Aunt Spiker reached out and seized the front of James's shirt, dragging her nephew close to her. When she spoke, her voice was dangerously soft.

"Sponge, I think we should teach this boy just _what_ will happen whenever he misbehaves, don't you?" James's Aunt Sponge, her pudgy features seeping into a horrible grin, walked up next to her sister.

"Oh, yes, Spiker. Let's do so."

James couldn't move; his aunt's grip was like an iron vice. His mind seemed to go numb, as though none of this could be happening to him. But as his aunts proceeded to thrash him soundly, James knew that this harsh new life was all too real.

Later that night, James curled up on his bed and looked around at his new "room." In reality, however, the room was actually a spare room in the attic that hadn't been used in ages. The floor was covered with splintery wood and the walls were cold stone. There was one window with creaky green shutters and the window itself happened to be barred. Indeed, this room was more like a cage than anything else.

James shivered as a cool wind blew threw the closed shutters. His bed was narrow and hard and he had been provided with only one thin blanket. The small boy shifted his weight slightly and then winced as the fires left behind from his beating flared up again. James bit his lip to keep from crying out; he had only recently learned that crying out only infuriated his new guardians even more when they were angry with him. And they had made sure James knew they were angry; now, bruises formed all over the child's body and continued to throb. For middle-aged women, his aunts had fists like clubs and they hit hard!

James stomach growled, but like the pain from his bruises, he could do nothing to soothe it. Aunts Spiker and Sponge had also made it clear that they would feed him only when they felt like it and they were not interested in providing a meal tonight. Thankfully, though, they had sent their nephew scurrying upstairs to his new bedroom after they finished beating him rather than punishing him further.

James sniffed and wiped a hand across his eyes. More than anything right now, he wanted his mother and father. Why did they have to die? And why did he have to live here? Did his aunts behave differently for his parents or did the man in charge of his parents' affairs send James here himself? In any case, James did not want to remain here another minute! But where would he go? He _had_ no other family and during his beating, his aunts had told him over and over that he was a worthless little nothing and that no one else would put up with him. Now, in the darkness of his cold lonely room, those words seemed all too real.

Lying down on his imp pillow, James reached under it for the one thing he held most dear: his travel book of New York City. He smiled sadly, remembering how his father had told him all about the fantastic city where dreams came true. His parents had looked so happy as they told their son how they were going to travel to that wonderful city and stand atop the Empire State Building.

"_The three of us, on top of the world."_ His father had said. But now, that dream would never come true. James closed his eyes as tears threatened to spill, but he could not hold them in. He curled himself into a small ball and held the travel book close to him. He sobbed silently for a few minutes before his exhausted body and mind gave into sleep. The moon rose, its rays spilling into James's cold room and onto his tear-streaked face, as though offering him comfort. And although he was hurt, hungry, and miserable, James slept peacefully that night.


	4. A Party to Remember

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

_Told you I'd be uploading soon. BTW, I made a mistake in my last chapter. I said James was seven, but in this fic, he's six. Just so you guys know._

**Ch. 4 A Party to Remember**

Within a week, James felt as though he had spent his whole life living with his aunts. His whole life was one misery after another. His aunts woke him at dawn everyday; if not with words, than with their fists. If he was lucky, they would leave him a small apple or orange on the table for his breakfast. But more often than not, the table was bare and he would be forced to get to work. It seemed like his aunts had let everything in their house go into disrepair just so that James would have plenty of work to do. His chores consisted of, but were not limited to chopping wood, drawing water, cleaning up the house and taking care of the peach tree. But no matter how much care the tree was given, nothing grew or bloomed. Thankfully, though, James was not punished for this; he had often heard his aunts complaining of how the tree never bloomed.

Of course, that didn't mean his aunts let up on their beatings. James would be punished for a number of things, from not doing the chores they way Aunt Spiker and Sponge wanted them done (although they never told him how they wanted James to go about his work), from disagreeing with them on any subject. Under the "care" of his aunts, James now sported new bruises on a daily basis. He was also getting thinner, as a result of his aunts not wanting to feed him and the color began to drain from his face, giving him a slightly pale appearance. In order to ensue that he didn't starve to death entirely, James now made sure to sneak bits of food whenever he could, usually a half piece of bread or a small piece of fruit. He didn't like doing it, but if he didn't, he would most definitely get sick.

One day, after living with his aunts for two weeks, James was told to clean the house thoroughly. The child immediately obeyed, though Aunt Spiker smacked his arm a bit to hurry him along. However, much to James's surprise, his aunts left the house, got into their rusting car, and drove away. James watched them from the window, feeling very confused; his aunts never went anywhere. For a brief moment, he considered escaping the house. But the thought left his mind almost as soon as it entered. Running away never solved anything, as his parents had told him after reading about a young runaway in the paper one morning, and besides, where would he go? With a heavy sigh, James commenced to cleaning the house as best as he could, always keeping an ear open for his aunts' return. But they did not come back.

Finally, as the sun set and James had finally finished his chores, the little boy heard the all-too-familiar sound of a car approaching. There was a brief silence followed by the kitchen door opening and Aunt Spiker calling him.

"Where are you, brat? Get in here!" Then Aunt Sponge chimed in.

"Hurry up, disgusting boy! Or shall we call for the rhino?" James winced at those words; besides often talking about how worthless his parents had been, Spiker and Sponge never stopped taunting James that the rhino that killed his mother and father would come back for him one day, especially if he was bad.

James entered the kitchen to see his aunts, dressed up and with tons of make-up caking their faces, placing wine bottles all over the table. Aunt Spiker whirled around and glared at James.

"Is the house clean?"

"Yes, Auntie Spiker. I cleaned the house all day."

"Good. Now, listen up. We're having guests over tonight and _you_ will not show yourself to them unless we call you into the living room. Got that?"

"Yes, Auntie Spiker." Now it was Aunt Sponge's turn.

"If we call you to clear plates, you'll clear plates. If we need you to bring us something, you'll bring it. You will ask no questions."

"Yes, Auntie Sponge." Aunt Spiker suddenly grabbed James's shoulder roughly, making her nephew wince as her fingers came into contact with a bruise she had left on his shoulder the day before. She pushed James into a chair and held him there for a moment.

"Do not move from here, do you understand me? If you move, the beatings your Aunt Sponge and I have given you will be _nothing_ compared to what we'll do to you if you move. Understand me? Do. Not. Move." James could only nod this time; the power of speech had left him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to answer me with words?" Aunt Spiker snarled, slapping James's cheek. James ducked his head, but was spared further punishment when Aunt Sponge called,

"Oh Spiker! They're here!" Without another word, each of James's aunts grabbed a bottle of wine and headed off to the living room. James rubbed at his cheek as his ears caught the sounds of voices.

"Mary and Harold! How _are_ you?" James cocked his head in surprise; his aunts sounded different when they weren't talking to him. But James knew all too well not to be fooled by their nice-sounding voices.

"Wonderful, wonderful! And you, my dear?"

"Couldn't be better!"

"Are you certain about that?" a man's voice asked. "I though you had a child living with you now?"

"Oh, _him!_ Well, he's a problem child, to be sure. But what do you expect from our brother's child. Not to mention the child of that little minx he married."

"Indeed so. But Spiker and I are teaching him his place; he'll learn to behave if it kills him."

"I should hope so. You can't go easy with children, you know. Why I remember when…" James placed his arms on the table and laid his head down on top of them. He didn't want to listen anymore; he knew that all he would hear were insults directed at him and his late parents. Looking out the window, James watched as the sun set. He lifted his head as the first star appeared in the sky. For a brief moment, his mother's sweet voice filled his mind as a two-year-old memory played behind his eyes.

"_Look, James. The first star just came out. Make a wish."_

"_Will it come true, Mother?"_

"_Only if you don't tell, darling."_

James remembered that he had wished for a surprise in his life. He also remembered that the next day, he and his parents spent the day walking along the beach and his father had found a baby seal trapped in the rocks. Together, the small family had freed the little animal and it had jumped back into the sea. But to everyone's surprise, it kept popping back up, as if to reassure itself that its rescuers were still there. James smiled, remembering how the seal had only left when James and his parents finally went home. Then, the little creature had swum out into the depths, were the sound of a huge bull seal barking could be heard.

James knew that his wish had been granted then and with that memory in mind, the child sat up and fixed his brown eyes on the star.

"I wish," he whispered quietly to himself. "I wish that I could find a _real_ family to live with. My aunts don't like me and they're really mean to me. I don't want to stay here anymore. Please, I just want to live with people who will love me."

James kept his eyes on the star, even as other little lights joined it in the black velvet sky. James let his head fall back onto his arms. Slowly, his eyes began to close as the peaceful summer night worked its magic on the little boy. James had almost fallen prey to sleep when his Aunt Spiker's harsh voice cut through his mind like a sharp knife.

"Get in here, you! Now!" Quickly, James scurried to obey the command. Upon reaching the living room, James noted that all four adults seemed to be in a very good mood. There were eight open win bottles on the table between the two couches. His aunts sat on the left couch, the guests sat on the right. James stiffened as the adults noticed his presence. The two guests- a husband and wife- were dressed up just like his aunts. The woman was lithe and bony like Aunt Spiker, though her hair was light brown and her eyes hazel. Her skin was pinched and she was dressed entirely in black velvet. The man was average-sized, but quite fat and almost completely bald. He was wearing a tuxedo that looked sweat-stained and slightly wrinkled. He raised a bushy eyebrow at James.

"That him?"

"That's the boy." The woman sniffed.

"Small thing. You sure he'll last long?" she asked in a screechy voice, as though James were a runty puppy. Aunt Sponge waved her hand carelessly.

"Who knows? Now, what do you need him for?" At her words, the man heaved himself off the sofa with a tired sigh. His watery eyes met James's and he scowled.

"How old are you boy?"

"S-s-six, sir."

"Six? Huh, he _is_ small. Still, we could have fun with him all the same."

"Have fun with him, Harold?" Aunt Spiker asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry, Spiker, I won't scar him permanently. But after hearing about this boy of your, I though it best to ensure that fully understands why he should mind his elders."

"Don't worry," the man's wife said. "Harold's good at disciplining children. We don't have any, of course, but he _knows._"

"Well, then, carry on. Let's see how you fare with this little worm," Aunt Sponge said, picking up her glass of wine and smiling.

Trembling at the idea of being "disciplined," James watched as Harold walked behind the sofa and pulled out a small bag. He put in a pudgy hand and drew out a thick belt with a huge silver buckle. He turned back to James, a wicked smile on her face.

"Know what this is, boy?"

"Yes, sir. It's a belt." Harold sneered and began slowly walking toward James, who backed up.

"Right again, boy. And now I'm going to show you a much better use for a belt than what its makers intended." Suddenly, Harold swung the belted end of the buckle at the little boy, but James, seeing it, quickly dodged to one side. While he managed to avoid the blow, his actions only made Harold furious.

"Come back here, you!" he yelled. And now, the other adults were just as angry. James gasped as his aunts grabbed him while Mary, the other woman, consoled her husband for missing his strike.

"You little brat! Disgusting, rotten worm! How DARE you move!" James's aunts rained blow after blow on him, but the child could not move. He could only keep his head down and pray for the abuse to stop soon. And in about five minutes, James's aunts stopped. Much to his surprise, he was told to leave their sight and go to bed. The child obeyed without question, incredibly thankful to have escaped being hit with the belt. Unfortunately, it was all he had to be thankful for.

James ran all the way up to his room, not halting until he was safely inside and had closed his door. But even with the door closed, James could still hear Harold raving downstairs.

"Appalling! Absolutely appalling! That boy will never amount to anything! How dare he move away like that?" Had James been older, he might have recognized the fact that the man was drunk, but he was far too young to know so, so he merely curled himself up on his bed and trembled with fear as well as with pain from his fresh hurts.

"Yes, dear," Mary cooed soothingly. "That boy l nothing, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you." Aunt Spiker's voice now joined in.

"Mary's right, Harold. Don't worry, we'll see to it that the little brat understands his place in life." Harold's life now rose.

"You'd be better off sending him to a coal mine, ladies. He may be too much for you to handle."

"Now, now, don't worry about us," Aunt Sponge replied, her voice high. "Spiker and I are tough old birds. We can handle the worm."

"Well, if you're sure," Mary said. In any case, it was nice to see you two again…" The voices faded as the four adults walked outside, the front door slamming behind them. James, meanwhile, drew his blanket around him and clutched his travel book. The little boy began to cry miserably, burying his face into his pillow. But like every other night when he lay cold, hungry, hurt, and scared, no one came to him.


	5. Friend in the Window

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

**_Was the last chapter a little too frightening? I hope no one was _too_ horrified. BTW, in England, potato chips are called "crisps," but I'll stick with the American word. I hope I won't offend anyone by doing so._**

**Ch. 5 Friend in the Window**

**After living with his aunts for more than a month, James's life was in full awful swing. His aunts woke him up at sunrise, he did his chores all day, and went to bed at night. During the day, he was sure to either get yelled at or was taunted and called names. If he was lucky, he got something to eat once he was done with his work. But more often than not, he got nothing except the few scraps of food and _quite_ often, he got beaten. However, once he was dismissed to the drafty attic that was his room, James managed to find time to play with the small stash of toys he had managed to keep hidden from his aunts. In a way, it was good that the floor of his room was made of wood; one of the boards was loose and thus provided an ample hiding place for his toys.**

**But the one item that James held dear was his New York City travel book. In a way, it was like having a bit of his mother and father to hold onto; a memento of the dream they had shared together. Rather than keep his book with the rest of his toys, James kept it hidden under his pillow, where he could reach it whenever he needed comfort.**

**One morning, James woke mere seconds before his aunts came to rouse him. He was gasping and drenched in a cold sweat, clutching his travel book to his pounding heart. He shivered, recalling his nightmare, in which the rhino hat devoured his parents came hurtling out of the sky at him, snarling and snorting. Unfortunately, the sounds of his aunts' footsteps were just outside his door and James barely had time to hide his book before his door swung open and his aunts came storming in.**

**"Get up, you lazy little bug!" Aunt Sponge ordered. Aunt Spiker joined her, tapping her watch.**

**"You've already wasted four minutes of daylight." James could only watch them as they proceeded to taunt him.**

**"Look at him-"**

**"-lollygagging in dreamland! When there's so much work to do."**

**"Weeds to pull, wood to chop." James closed his eyes as they both shouted at him.**

**"WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK!"**

**James had no choice; he had to work. All through that day, he did the many chores his aunts had set up for him. Meanwhile his two guardians had seated themselves at a creaking old lawn table, sipping lemonade, fanning themselves, swatting at butterflies, and looking in a mirror. James didn't look at them; he didn't want to give them an excuse for berating him.**

**Around midday, James finished chopping wood. Already, he was exhausted and quite hot from the day's heat. Ducking behind the chopping block, James sat down and looked out at the world outside his aunts' property. Looking straight out, James could see the ocean and almost without thinking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his travel book. He had brought it along with him today, feeling in dire need of comfort after his nightmare and his aunts' heartless words. James opened the book and looked at the route he had drawn on it. Start in London, travel to New York City, and then come back. He smiled at his map, and then looked up at the sea again. Was that his old house there? And there, that could be…**

**"You lazy bug!" At the sound of Aunt Sponge's voice, James quickly hid his travel book behind his back. His fat aunt was scowling at him. "Who told you to stop working?"**

**"I-I finished the wood," James answered softly. Unfortunately, he didn't notice Aunt Spiker marching up behind him. He only noticed her when she tore the book out of his hand. She studied it disdainfully.**

**"A travel book? How dare you even dream of leaving?" James stiffened as both his aunts grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.**

**"This is the only home you'll only have," Aunt Sponge told him**

**"No one else would tolerate a worthless little nothing like _you_," Aunt Spiker added, handing James's travel book to Aunt Sponge, who examined it curiously.**

**"Where did you get this? Where?" she asked in a tone that said she wouldn't be surprised if James had stolen it.**

**"Father gave it to me. He said we're to go there one day," James replied honestly.**

**"Stupid foolish man," Aunt Spiker snarled, jabbing a finger into James's shoulder. The little boy sat back down as his aunts began raving about his dead parents.**

**"Foolish man, always dreaming," Aunt Sponge chimed in. "That's what got him killed."**

**"And your mother," Aunt Spiker added viciously. James's hurt eyes traveled from one aunt to the other as they spoke.**

**"Had his head in the clouds instead of looking where he was going," Aunt Sponge snarled, still slandering James's late father.**

**"He never even saw that rhino coming," Aunt Spiker said sneering. James tied not to listen, but he couldn't shut out the harsh words.**

**"That rhino," Aunt Sponge sneered, almost laughing. Aunt Spiker suddenly crouched down, holding a finger in James's face, her powdered and rouged face twisted into an evil smile.**

**"And the beast will get you too, if you don't behave." Then, before James's eyes, Aunt Sponge began tearing James's travel book up into tiny pieces.**

**"Now get these stupid dreams out of your head!"**

**"And get back to work!" they both yelled. James kept his head down, trying not to show his aunts how upset he was. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the pieces of the last tangible link with his parents blew away with the afternoon breeze.**

**As the sun set and the air cooled, James finished his work and went back to the house. He opened the kitchen door and stumbled inside wearily. His aunts were sitting comfortably at the table, eating a roasted fish. His Aunt Spiker laid down her knife and fork and glared at him.**

**"Yes?" she asked, as though James were intruding.**

**"I finished all of the chores," James said hopefully, approaching the table.**

**"What a coincidence," Aunt Sponge said smugly, holding out an arm to stop her nephew. "We finished all the dinner." As she spoke, she stuffed another roll into her mouth. Aunt Spiker giggled.**

**"Oh, Sponge, you're such a tease." She looked back up at James and gave him a fake-pleasant smile.**

**"There's something special waiting for you, in the oven," she cooed, displaying her horse-like teeth. James smiled gratefully, thinking maybe his aunts had decided to give him real food tonight. He crossed over to the oven, hearing Aunt Sponge chuckle behind him. He opened the oven door and, to his disgust, he saw two roasted fish heads, their glazed eyes staring blankly at the six-year-old.**

**Aunt Sponge, noticing her nephew's disgust, swallowed loudly and said sarcastically,**

**"Oh, do let me guess. They're not good enough for him." Aunt Spiker scowled at him.**

**"What do you think this is? Buckingham Palace?" James shuddered and shut the oven door. As he did, he noticed a small bag of potato chips lying next to the oven.**

**"Get out of our sight!" Aunt Sponge ordered. James looked up at her and as he did, he grabbed the bag and hid it behind his back, hoping to have more luck than he'd had with his travel book.**

**"Go on! Go on!" Aunt Sponge repeated waving him away with her arm. But James didn't turn away from his aunts until he was at the stairs. As he turned, he shifted the bag so that he was holding it in front of him and raced up the stairs. Thankfully, his two guardians didn't notice the missing chips and James heard no other sound from downstairs except a contented belch from his Aunt Sponge.**

**Once in his room, James sat down on his bed and poured the contents of the bag into his small hand. Unfortunately, while James had been successful in getting the food upstairs, he was not successful at getting a good meal. There only a few tiny chips left in the bag; in fact, there was just enough to fill his hand. James sighed, but ate them anyway, knowing that a little food was better than none. He tore the bag open and licked the thin paper, hoping to pick up any leftover crumbs. As he did so, he noticed a spider web attached to the bars of his window. Curious, James crossed over to his window and climbed up onto the small chair that stood underneath his small outlet. Once he was level with the window, James saw a small black and white spider climbing down his window, suspended in mid-air by a thin silken thread. Delighted at having another creature inside his room, the little boy held out a hand, allowing the spider to land safely in his palm.**

**"Hello there. Where did you come from?" James asked, smiling. "You know, you probably shouldn't build your web up here in the window," James told the spider as he got down off the chair. "Spiker and Sponge might see you and they hate spiders."**

**_They hate me too_, James thought, but he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he set the spider down on the chair, where it moved about, but seemed to watch the child's actions.**

**"I'll be your friend though," the little boy added. He knelt down and lifted up the loose floorboard, exposing his hiding place for his toys. He pulled out a small box that contained a few nubs of crayons, bits of string and tape, and his last birthday candle.**

**As the sun's light faded, James drew a picture on the chip bag. On one side of the bag, he drew his aunts, looking furious. On the other side, he drew a marvelous city with tall buildings and tons of people. Between his aunts and the city, he drew an ocean. Above the water, he drew a picture of himself with wings, soaring happily to the city where the people were waiting to welcome him with open arms. Finally, he wrote New York City across the top of the bag, completing his fantasy. As he worked, he told his new friend about himself and the dream his parents had once shared. The spider seemed to watch James intently as the little boy folded the bag and blew into it, inflating it into a small balloon. Using his tape and string, James fastened his candle to the bottom of the balloon. He reached into his pocket for a match he had found in the kitchen earlier that day and lit it carefully, remembering how his father had taught him how to do so safely. He lit the blackened wick and blew out the match.**

**Holding out his hands, James let the striped spider climb onto his palms and he carefully placed his new friend back on its web. Then, he picked up his balloon, which was now filled with hot air. Holding it out between the bars of his window, James released it into the night sky, watching the small ball of light until it floated away. He turned his brown eyes back to the spider.**

**"Good night. Pleasant dreams," he said. James shut the shutters on his window and climbed into bed. Wrapping his blanket tightly around his small body, James reached under his pillow for his travel book.**

**It wasn't there.**

**James sighed sadly as he recalled exactly what had happened to his book. Bringing it with him while he did his chores was a mistake; he should have left it here. James curled himself up into a ball and closed his eyes. As he drifted into sleep, he felt as though he were being watched, but before he could think about who would be watching him, James was sound asleep.**


	6. A Man, A Peach, and An Escape

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

**_Now things get interesting._**

**Ch. 6 A Man, A Peach, and An Escape**

**"Ah! Spider! Vermin! Oh, beast!" The sound of his aunt's shouting and the smacking of a flyswatter quickly roused James from sleep. With a gasp, he sat up to see Aunt Spiker mounting an attack on the spider.**

**"No wait!" James called, rushing over to the window.**

**"SPONGE!" Aunt Spiker screamed as James grabbed the spider.**

**"Wait! I'll get it! I'll get it!" Cupping his hands, James rushed for his bedroom door, pursued by Aunt Spiker, who rained blows from the flyswatter on James's back.**

**"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" she shrieked.**

**Just as James reached his door, Aunt Sponge came barreling in, a spray can of bug spray in her hand.**

**"Where is it?" she gasped as she shot a stream of silvery mist at James and Aunt Spiker. Temporarily blinded by the smoke, James crashed into Aunt Sponge and the two of them ended up falling don the stairs.**

**Upon reaching the bottom, James moved away from his aunt and glanced at his hand. The spider was not there. Terrified, James looked over at Aunt Sponge, who was still lying on the ground, and saw the spider crawling over her face.**

**"Kill it!" she shrieked. Aunt Spiker came barreling down the stairs, flyswatter raised.**

**"Ahh! Get it! Kill it!" Aunt Sponge shrieked. But just as Aunt Spiker raised the flyswatter, the spider leapt of Aunt Sponge's pudgy face and Aunt Spiker ended up smacking her sister in the face instead.**

**"You hit me in the face," Aunt Sponge said dully and James took advantage of the fact that his aunts weren't paying attention to him to scoop up the child and run for the backyard. As he left the house, he could hear his aunts shouting at each other.**

**"You hit me in the face!"**

**"Oh do shut up!"**

**James raced down the hill to the old stone fence and knelt before it, noting its many crack. He held the spider out to one of them.**

**"Go on, get out of here. Get as far away from this place as you possibly can." He was relived to see his friend escape into the dark space, but at the same time, he felt crushed.**

**"Oh, I wish I could."**

**"What's stopping you?"**

James gasped, shying away from the fence and the speaker. Leaning on the fence was a middle-aged man staring intently at James. He had thin black hair and black stubble across his face. His eyes were a mix of blue ad grey and his face was serious. He was dressed in a black sweater that had watches pinned all over it, grey pants, and fingerless gloves. James, being far too used to his aunts by now, tensed himself in case the man wanted to strike him. The man, sensing James's fear, held out a hand.

"Now don't be frightened, James. I mean you no harm."

"H-h-how do you know my name?" The old man chuckled softly.

"I know more than just your name." He suddenly leapt forward and knelt down in front of the little boy, who had backed up even more.

"What would you say if I were to tell you that the answer to all your troubles is right here? Inside this little bag?" he said, pulling out a small white bag from behind him. James's eyes widened at the sight of his balloon bag from the night before.

"Hey, that's my-"

"Of course it is," the old man said. He held out the bag to James so that the open end of the bag was exposed.

"Go on, James. Have a look." James peered into the bag as the paper suddenly glowed green. Inside, he was what looked like a bunch of neon-green maggots squirming about.

"There's more magic in them things than in all the rest of the world put together," the man said in a solemn tone.

"But what_ are_ they?" James asked, looking back up at the man.

"Crocodile tongues."

"Tongues?"

"One thousand long slimy crocodile tongues boiled in the skull of a dead witch for forty days and forty nights. Add the fingers of a young monkey, the gizzard of a pig, the beak of a parrot and three spoonfuls of sugar. Stew for another week and then let the moon-" the old man suddenly winked at James, but when he opened his eyes, it was a milky orb, like the moon itself. James gasped in surprise.

"- do the rest." The man winked again, and when he opened his closed lid again, his eyes were back to normal. James watched him fascinated as the man continued to speak.

"Have 'em, and marvelous things will happen; things even you never dreamed of."

"Like what?"

"Well, like… you'll never be miserable again. And, you are miserable, aren't you, James?" the man said sympathetically. James looked away and nodded.

"You weren't meant to be, you know. And that place you're dreaming of isn't as far away as you think." The old man suddenly pushed his had through the fence, causing a hole as one of the weak stones fell away. He moved aside so James could look through the hole.

To the child's surprise, he could see all the way across the ocean, to where a huge city gleamed in the mist.

"New York City," James breathed in surprise.

"And it'll be that much closer-," the old man said as the image of the city faded and he popped up in the hole.

"- once you take the first step."

"But how? This doesn't make any sense."

"Not up here it doesn't," the old man said, tapping his head. "The answers are in here." He reached through the hole and laid his finger on James's heart.

"Magic is in here," he added, suddenly appearing behind James. He held the bag out to James again.

"So James, what'll it be?"

James stared at the bag. Inside was the answer to all his troubles. The little boy didn't move, though; all this information was very overwhelming. Besides, what would happen if he didn't know how to use the magic or his aunts got their hands on it? Things could just get worse. And yet, James knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime offer; his only chance at leaving this awful life behind him forever. He had to take this chance, no matter what!

James reached for the bag, but before handing it over, the old man grasped James's small hand in both of his gloved ones.

"Now listen to me, James," he said seriously. "Don't let them get away because if they do, they'll work their magic on whoever or whatever they meet first. Understand?" James nodded.

"Good." There was a swirl of white smoke and the old man was gone. James stood up and looked over the stone fence to see if the old man had ducked out of sight, but froze at the sound of his Aunt Spiker's voice.

"What's going on out here?"

James held the bag carefully and began running back to the house as fast as he could. He would figure out how to use the little green things' magic later. Right now, he had to hide them from his aunts. If Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge saw the glowing bag, they'd demand an explanation. And even though they didn't believe in magic of any kind, they would no doubt figure out that these little green things were indeed precious treasures and take them away. Then James would never escape his aunts' cruelty.

As he ran by the old peach tree, James felt himself slip and he fell to the ground. The bag burst open and the tiny green things began to squirm into the dirt under the tree. James quickly tried to grab them, but he couldn't catch a single one.

"Oh, no! Wait!" he cried, hoping that they would stop. But the little green things didn't stop; they crawled into the soil vanishing right before the six-year-old's eyes.

"Wait, please wait," James pleaded as the last ones vanished. They didn't heed his cries and just as the last ones disappeared, James heard the voice of his Aunt Sponge.

"Here he is!" the child looked up to see his aunts grouped around the tree, looking down at him as though he were a piece of trash.

"Get up, you little worm. We sent you out here to kill a spider!"

"Not to laze about!" Aunt Spiker added.

"I wasn't lazing about. I tripped," James told them. Instantly after saying so, he regretted it. His aunts looked at him as though he had just committed the ultimate crime.

"How dare you disagree with us?" Aunt Sponge snarled.

"Beat him, Sponge!" Aunt Spiker ordered. His aunts came racing toward him. James stood up, but was immediately grabbed by Aunt Spiker. Almost automatically, he ducked his head, readying himself for the heavy blows that were sure to come. But instead, he heard Aunt Sponge sight tiredly behind him.

"It's too early." James timidly raised his head to see Aunt Spiker glaring daggers at him.

"Well that makes you the luckiest boy alive," she said icily. "Now come inside and get dressed!" She grabbed James by the scruff of his nightshirt and began leading him back to the like a disobedient dog. Aunt Sponge yawned and stretched and then suddenly froze.

"Spiker! Look! A peach!"

"A what?" Aunt Spiker asked in a weary voice.

"A peach! There! On that branch!"

"Why that old tree's never had a blossom on it, let alone a-" James looked over his shoulder and sure enough, high in the barren branches, was a large golden peach. James felt Aunt Spiker release him, but he didn't move. He was too transfixed by this sudden surprise to do anything.

"Well, I'll be blowed," Aunt Spiker said. "There really is a peach up there. A nice big one too."

_Is that why those little green things wanted to get into the ground so quickly?_ James had a feeling that they had wanted to do _something_ with their magic. Meanwhile, his aunts' were discussing on how to get the peach out of three.

"How can we get it?" Aunt Sponge muttered. The two sisters looked at each and said simultaneously,

"The boy!" Aunt Sponge immediately looked up and gave her nephew a false smile as Aunt Spiker came around the tree, put her hands on James's shoulders and guided him to the tree.

"Now you be a good little boy and climb up there and get that peach for your dear aunties." James, excited by the prospect of magic, asked,

"Can we eat it?"

"Of course we can. We'll share it," Aunt Sponge said, pushing James up the tree. "Me and your Aunt Spiker! Now start climbing!" James was already climbing when Aunt Spiker called out,

"Wait!"

"What? Aunt Sponge asked. "What?" Aunt Spiker looked like she was caught in a state between dreaming and real life.

"It's- It's growing!" Aunt Sponge looked confused.

"The boy?"

"No, the peach, you idiot!" Aunt Spiker snapped. She pointed. "Look."

James, having heard his aunts, focused his brown eyes on the golden fruit and saw, much to his surprise, that peach was indeed swelling up to almost twice its size and showed no signs of stooping. The child froze, his hand still held out, despite the fact that he was not planning to pick the fruit anytime soon.

"Come down," Aunt Sponge.

"But I won't get hurt," James said, his innocent mind mistaking his aunt's words for concern, despite their treatment of him. But Aunt Sponge pulled James out of the tree anyway, muttering

Now the peach was really growing; in fact, it looked less like fruit and more like a giant beach ball. It was quickly getting bigger and wider than the tree. James knew it was the green things' doings; there was no other explanation. His aunts were just as excited.

"What a peach! What a peach!"

"Look, Spiker! It's still growing!"

"I'm not blind, you dolt! I can see for myself. Oh, look at it grow! It's a miracle," Aunt Spiker cried, pushing James away from her. The peach seemed to burst free of the tree and Aunt Sponge leapt backward, which caused her to trip.

"It's coming down! Stand back!" But the peach didn't fall down; it merely grew and grew until was as big and wide as castle, or so it looked to James's youthful eyes.

"Oh, my goodness," Aunt Spiker cried as she helped her sister up. All three were in shock upon having this living miracle thrust upon them, although only James knew how it got there.

"Marvelous things will happen, just like he said," he whispered to himself. But Aunt Spiker's radar ears caught his every word.

"Shut up, you little grub!" she hissed at him. "This has nothing to do with you, so just keep away from it!" James shot her a hurt look, but she ignored him, as Aunt Sponge was leading her sister closer to the gigantic fruit.

"Oh, can you smell that, Spiky? It smells delicious!" Aunt Sponge leaned in to take a mouthful of the peach, but Aunt Spiker pulled her back.

"No. It smells like…money." She smiled greedily and Aunt Sponge caught on and returned it.

By early afternoon, the hill was a seething mass of people. James could see them all, but he could not join them. When his aunts had called in carpenters to build a fence around the peach as well as the local newspaper, James had gone upstairs to his room to get dressed to finally play children for a change. His hopes, however, were soon crushed. His aunts had flatly refused to let him join the masses and had even beaten him a little to ensure that he would stay in his room. Having no choice, James stood on the chair and peered out at the people between the bars on his window.

Down below him, he could see as a group of children laughed and danced about, holding hands and walking in a circle to music. An older boy, probably thirteen or fourteen, played the music for them, smiling as one little girl called out for him not to stop.

Watching the older boy made James think about the American teenagers he had met on the day his mother and father died. They had been really nice and offered to spend the night at the house if he needed anything, but James remembered how the man in charge of his parents' affairs had sent them away. Before they left though, James remembered seeing one of the boys slip a cracked-open mussel into the pocket of the man's coat.

"Tell 'imp I did it," he had said, flashing James a grin before sprinting out after his friends. As it turned out though, the man never did put his hand in his pocket and James had always presumed the he had discovered the mussel after he had dropped James at his aunts' house.

As the day progressed, James continued to watch the crowds below. Tears spilled out of his eyes as he watched the happy families below, making him think of his own mother and father. However, he was also thinking of the chance he had been given to escape. Like the green creature had slipped into the soil, the chance of a happy life had slipped through his fingers.

James climbed down from the chair and sat down on his bed; he couldn't bear to watch the families any longer. Maybe, if he hadn't slipped and dropped the bag, _he _could've been a part of a happy, smiling family again. Or maybe, he'd find his own mother and father alive again, but Spiker and Sponge wouldn't be his aunts! James smiled as he pictured himself with his parents enjoying a day on the peach or taking a walk in the nearby meadow where his mother had always collected wildflowers to plant back home. Or maybe, just maybe, they'd go into town for whatever reason and encounter Spiker and Sponge, but the two women wouldn't take the slightest notice of them! James smiled. Yes, that would be nice. He could imagine himself holding onto his mother's hand and watching his two former guardians as they glared daggers at him, but didn't know who he was. It would be like being invisible in their eyes and they wouldn't be able to beat him or starve him or…

"Yoo-hoo! Come down here!" James sighed. Lost in his fantasies, he hadn't noticed the darkening sky or the absence of noise outside the house. Now, he had to go and face his aunts. Dashing his arm across his face, James scrubbed away at the dried tearstains, knowing that if his aunts knew he had been crying, he would be in for an awful night. James only hoped they were in a good enough mood that they forgot they owed him a beating.

_Well, this could've been worse_, James reasoned with himself. As it turned out, his aunts had been in a _very_ good mood indeed. They had been seated at the kitchen table surrounded by the money they had collected that day. Much to James's relief, they simply sent him out to clean up the garbage left behind. Although James, like most young children, was fearful at being alone outside after dark, it preferable to being beaten and scolded again, so the little boy went out without complaint.

As James picked up the trash, he noticed a familiar-looking white bag among the other bits of paper and junk food bags on the ground. He bent down, picked it up, and peered closely at it. Sure enough, it was his balloon bag, the bag that had once held his chance at a better life.

James ripped the bag open and much to his surprise, a singe green creature popped out. It began hopping away towards the peach and James followed it, despite his aunts' warnings telling him not to set foot near their "miracle."

James's hand shot out and made a grab for the squealing creature, but when he opened his hand, he saw nothing; he had not grabbed the glowing creature.

With a disappointed sigh, James stood up and looked up at the peach, its fresh sweet smell making his empty stomach feel even hollower than before. James chanced a look up at the house, but no one was coming. James quickly grabbed a handful of peach out of a section near the bottom of the fruit, where the hole wouldn't be noticed. He took a bite out of the fruit, noting how wonderful it was. It was probably due to the magic that the peach's flavor seemed to have been enhanced and James could feel the fruit settle in his empty stomach. He was about to take another bite when he heard a strange sound behind him. He turned around and was more than just a little surprised to see that a glowing hole had suddenly appeared in the peach. But upon kneeling down in front of it, James saw that the hole was actually a tunnel leading all the way into the giant fruit.

Without a second thought, James began crawling into the tunnel. If this was somehow another escape route from his aunts, James was going to take it. And maybe it was just James, but he had a strange feeling that there was hope for him yet if he crawled into the tunnel. As he did, James chanced a look behind him and found out that the tunnel had sealed itself up. Well, there was no going back now! James continued his journey forward, all the time in search for the hope of a better life he so desperately needed.


	7. Willingly Taken

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

**_I've skipped ahead some, and this chapter will be kinda short._**

**Willingly Taken**

**James could hear his aunts calling for him. Even though he knew they couldn't find him, their voices still sent tremors up and down his spine. He wondered why they come out searching from him and remembered that they owed him a beating.**

**Above him, James could hear the Centipede chopping away at something. With a jolt, the little boy released that the noises were the sounds of wood being cut and he knew that Centipede was cutting a branch, most likely the one that anchored the peach to the tree!**

**James looked around at his other friends, who also seemed to understand what was taking place above them. They seemed a little unsure of their fellow bug's actions, but they weren't about to stop him. Like James, they wanted to leave the hill, but unlike James, they were no longer bound by Spiker and Sponge. Before they had come into contact with whatever had made them more human-like (James had a feeling it was the little green things' doing), all six of the bugs had been trapped on the hill, knowing that if they showed themselves above ground, they would be in danger of getting killed. Now, though, they could leave this loathsome place and go wherever they wanted.**

**James turned his eyes to the ceiling, where the chopping noises where coming from. Already, he was out of luck; wherever his new friends were going, _he_ couldn't. James was only a six-year-old child; he couldn't just up and leave the home of his legal guardians. More than anything, James _wanted_ to leave the hill, but he knew that he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. His new friends were definitely nice, but there was no way they'd willingly take in an orphaned child, was there? His aunts had told him many times how worthless he was and although James tried not to listen to their hateful words, there were times when what Spiker and Sponge told him seemed all to true.**

**The peach suddenly jerked violently and the Centipede suddenly jumped back into the room. Everyone began shouting at once as the whole room tilted violently as the peach began to roll forward. James gasped as he and the others ran forward, attempting to stay on their feet. Although quite frightened and rightfully so, another thought entered James's mind. Somehow, almost as quickly as he'd left behind his life with his parents, James had suddenly been pulled into a whole different life, a life that was certain to send him and his new companions hurtling into adventure and hopefully a better future. Even as the peach gained momentum and its inhabitants were knocked off their feet, James knew that he would rather be inside a giant peach that was barreling towards the unknown than anywhere where his aunts could find him.**

**_Author's note: This chapter seems a little odd, right? Basically, it's James's thoughts right before the journey begins. I know it sounds weird, but if you're that young and adults who are supposed to be caring for you tell you you're unwanted, self-esteem is pretty much gone. So you can't blame James for thinking he'll have to stay behind at first._**

**_BTW, when I gave the chapter its name, I meant James was willingly taken away from his aunts. I don't know if there's anyone out there who entertains the notion that James was, in a way, kidnapped from his "home," but kidnapping is defined as being taken _against_ your will, so James wasn't really kidnapped._**


	8. Doubts and Fears

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

_Again, I've skipped a lot. This scene occurs just after the battle with the metal shark._

**Ch. 8: Doubts and Fears**

James, seated on the fence jutting out of the peach, watched as the huge fruit climbed higher and higher into the skies. He tilted his head up, allowing the warm sunrays to fall onto his face. For the first time in a long time, James felt content.

His friends, too, seemed quite pleased, as they relaxed and basked in the afternoon sun. Already, a very strong bond had been formed between James and the six bugs and James was glad for it. He was, after all, still a young child and the youngest member of the group, so being able to trust and rely on these six adults was comforting.

Despite his feelings of security, doubt began to trickle back into James's body. He knew, of course, that he was miles away from his evil aunts, but he also knew just how relentless they could be, his multiple beatings being proof of that. And if something as minor as disagreeing with them was enough to bring on a beating, then escaping on this giant peach would make them mad enough to kill.

James stiffened at the thought. There was no doubt in his young mind that Spiker and Sponge would come after him and what would happen if they caught up to the peach? Would they forget about James and simply demand that the peach be returned to them? No, most likely not; James was their property and they would want him back, no matter how much they hated him. Besides, where was _he_ going to go? He had no other family or relatives; James Henry Trotter was alone in the world.

The little boy sighed; he had long known that no one was going to show up at his aunts' house and invite him to live with them, but he never stopped hoping that he'd find his way to a real home with a real family again. And when he had found his way into the peach, he had thought that his wish had come true. But even though they were on their way to New York City, there was no assurance that he and his new friends were going to stay together. After all, they had dreams too and caring for an orphaned child wasn't a part of any of them.

James looked over the edge of the peach. Were his aunts down below them now? It was quite likely, but James tried not to think about it. Leaning back against the velvet-soft skin of the peach, James promised himself that now that he'd gotten away from that awful house, he would _never _go back! His aunts would have to kill him to make him go back to that house and James knew that if Spiker and Sponge ever got him back in their clutches, they would. Despite his strong feelings, James was terrified at the though of encountering his legal guardians again; there were still a few bruises left on his arms to instill fear of his aunts in his mind.

Still, his aunts weren't here now and James could relax. But no matter how much he pushed them from his mind, the faces of Spiker and Sponge kept returning, reminding him of how small and young he really was and insisting that no one would ever love him.


	9. Sign of Love

**Through an Innocent's Eyes**

_This scene is yet another retelling of a scene from a movie. However, I think this part is important and I'll try to make it as original as possible._

**Ch. 9: Sign of Love**

James yawned softly and rubbed at his eyes. He didn't know what time it was, but he did know that he was very tired. But then again, the day had been long and full of excitement and now the little boy was ready for sleep. Perched on a large leaf set in the center of Miss Spider's web, James tried to keep his eyes open long enough for Miss Spider to finish spinning the web that would be his bed for the night.

"You keep to yourself, don't you," James asked Miss Spider. She smiled slightly at James and continued her work.

"I prefer to be alone," she replied.

"I was alone for a long time once," James said. "I think it's much nicer to have friends, don't you?"

"I would not know," Miss Spider said honestly; she did not want to tell this innocent little boy that had she met the other insects before the green things had found them all, she'd probably have hunted them.

"They'd be your friends too, the others, I mean. If you'd just let them." Miss Spider smiled again, though this time fully. She felt strong affection tug at her heart for this sweet little child who was far wiser than his aunts gave him credit for.

"No, ii is in their nature to have fear of me. This I cannot change."

"You're very kind to me," James said softly. And it was true; Miss Spider was very kind to James. Of course, the other five bugs took good care of him too, but here in the peach at night, James felt safe under Miss Spider's care.

"Maybe this is because you are kind to me first." James started a bit as Miss Spider, having finished her web, reached out and grasped James gently around his middle. James was not used to any physical contact outside of being hit, but Miss Spider merely guided him to lie down on the leaf and as she did, James suddenly realized something.

"You were the spider in my window!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. Miss Spider, who was reaching to her back for a silk thread, paused and then nodded.

"Mm-hmm," she affirmed, nodding. She began to weave the threads over the little boy, smiling at his words.

"You were my first friend! I mean, since I went to live with my aunts." James voice suddenly took on a more melancholy tone and his eyes clouded. "They hated me!"

"Ssshhh," Miss Spider soothed, laying a gentle finger across James's lips. "Do not think of them now." She kept her voice low and smiled lovingly at James before continuing her weaving.

James, however, could not shake the thoughts of his aunts from his mind. They were, after all, a constant terror in his life and neither the memories in his mind nor the bruises on his arms would let him forget it.

"But what if they find us?" he asked. "What if we don't make it to New York?" Suddenly very nervous, James sat up just as Miss Spider finished covering the lower half of his body with silk thread. She tucked the last bit around him as James spoke again.

"I'll die if I have to go back to the way I was," the little boy declared with all the vigor of a terrified child trying to be brave. And though James _was_ courageous, he was still very young, very tired, and very scared. He felt tears behind his eyes and covered his face with his hands. "They can't make me..." he murmured miserable.

"Nobody can make you do anything, James..." Miss Spider said suddenly. She grasped James's left hand tightly in her own gloved hand while supporting his head with her other hand. For a brief moment, the two of them stayed perfectly still, then Miss Spider tenderly laid James back down.

"... if you do not let them," she finished, keeping her voice at a soothing whisper. James, although still nervous, suddenly felt better. For some reason, he felt as though he were safe at home although he knew he was farther away from his home than he had ever been in his life. The small child watched through half-closed eyes as Miss Spider reached for his coat, which she then draped over him, covering the little boy completely.

"You are a brave boy," she told him. Miss Spider surveyed her work carefully, making sure that James would be nice and warm throughout the night. James looked back up at her, his small face suddenly full of innocent joy. Really, all children needed was a little love. But for the longest time, James had been deprived of the love he so richly deserved and instead forced into a life of pain and despair.

To James's surprise, Miss Spider leaned down, placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead lovingly. "Now to sleep," she told him, smiling and lightly tapping his lips once more. She began backing up towards a large pipe jutting out of the peach flesh. "You have had a very tired-making day," shed added.

Miss Spider blew out the candle that was placed by the pipe, gave James one last fond look, and laid down. James watched her, completely content. The little boy yawned softly and looked up at the circle of sky that was just above him thanks to the open hatch in the ceiling. The white moonbeams washed over his face, illuminating his small face. James smiled; for the first time in a long time, he felt safe, happy, and loved. For now, he did not fear his aunts finding him, nor did he fear not being worth anything. James had been given the love he so desperately needed and that was enough. As the moonlight fell away from his face, James's brown eyes slowly closed until they shut completely and the little boy fell prey to sleep.


End file.
